Speaking notes on purpose of visit by the Deputy Minister of Human Settlements, Honourable Pam Tshwete Youth Career Expo
Thank you Programme Director Greetings to:
Deputy Minister for Mineral Resources – Hon Nobuhle Nkabane
Ward Councillor – Cllr Thembinsi Mjuza Councillors present
Acting Deputy Director General, Ms Nonhlanhla Buthelezi and Senior officials from all Spheres of government
Senior Officials from all Spheres of Government All Stakeholders present here today
School Principals and School Governing Body Our future leaders, the learners
It is with great honor and privilege to address this audience today, this Mandela month as we are gathered here to take positive steps towards the empowerment of our children and to plant in them a seed to yearn for a more positive and brighter future.
We had intended to hold this event during the Youth month with a theme “Accelerating Youth Economic Emancipation” for a sustainable future. One of the effective ways of accelerating youth economic emancipation for sustainable future is through education.
Let me thank Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources, Hon Nobuhle Nkabane who still here with us.
I had invited a number of Government departments to this event as every department has different carrier opportunities to offer. Deputy Minister Maggie Sotyu from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment and Deputy Minister Sibongiseni Dhlomo from the department of Health, were amongst the departments that were going to be here today. Unfortunately, due to the challenges that we faced with the Provincial Government of the Western Cape where we had to make last minute changes to the time slot, the two Deputy Ministers could not stay on as they had other prior commitments and had planned to travel just after 13h00 to the airport. Though these Deputy Ministers had to go, their senior officials are still here.
It is very unfortunate that the youth will be deprived of benefiting from such an informative session because some people decided to play politics. When we come to the communities as government, we are not here as any political party but as the Government of the people.
Despite all efforts made to dislodge the event, I am hopeful that all learners here today will benefit from the information that will be shared with them. We have our entities namely; National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC), National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC), Housing Development Agency (HDA), and many others like the University of Cape Town, National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), Road Traffic Inspectorate Agency, Railway Safety Regulator, False Bay TVET College, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, FPM SETA (Fibre Processing & Manufacturing Sector Education and Training Authority, Stellenbosch University, MICT SETA (Media Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority, NEDBANK, SAROA- South African Radio Astronomy Observatory and Statistics South Africa. I appreciate their dedication, support and passion towards development of our youth.
Amongst us, we also have the ever so dedicated Gift of the givers, who comes bearing gift for the learners. Thank you to the Gift of The Givers for their support. We have other sponsors who could not be hear with us but have sent goodies, we thank each and everyone of you for your generosity.
This day, the whole of South Africa and the world will witness opening of the Netball World Cup, which is taking place here in our South African Soil. The last time South Africa hosted a World Cup was in 2010, during the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
All of you might have been too young to even remember that moment, but South Africa was full with jubilation and in unity as we were overly excited to be the first in Africa to have hosted such an event.
Our Netball team will need your support, whether it is by going to the Stadium or by watching it on TV as it will be live screened throughout. It is times like these that we gunner behind each other and show the world the unity in diversity of the South African people.
The youth, especially young women are really taking out space, our very own Banyana Banyana is participating in the Women’s FIFA World Cup in Sweden. Yesterday, they drew against Argentina and are currently ranked number 2 in the Continent. These women come from ordinary backgrounds, like most of you here, but it proves that when you set your targets high in life, only the sky is the limit.
We are gathered here to take positive steps towards the empowerment of our children and to plant in them a seed to yearn for a more positive and brighter future.
The main objective for this event is to showcase the opportunities that government has provided for young people, present career opportunities that different stakeholders are offering and to prepare young people to make informed decisions about their career prospects.
I urge you to listen carefully and openly to the advice you are offered today. Pick up pamphlets at the career expo and go through them carefully. Think carefully about your passions, your talents and interests and don’t allow yourself to be distracted from your goals. Take application forms and their deadlines seriously. Get your personal documentation together so that your applications will be successful.
My department has a scholarship programme that provides students with financial assistance to pursue tertiary studies in the following fields: Civil Engineering; Quantity Surveying; Construction Studies; Town and Regional Planning; Architectural Technology; Building; Bachelor of Human Settlements Development Degree (BHSD); and Bachelor of Social Sciences in Human Settlements (BsocSC – Human Settlements).
We also have Human Settlements Qualifications that we have developed in partnership with three institutions of higher learning namely, Nelson Mandela University, Fort Hare University, and the University of South Africa to develop human settlements degrees. These are the Bachelor of Human Settlements Development, Bachelor of Science in Human Settlements and the Bachelor of Administration in Human Settlements Management.
In today’s exhibition, different stalls are displayed, I urge you to explore all the different career options and materials and use this opportunity to choose the most adequate and appropriate career path that will enable you to contribute positively in shaping a better South Africa for all.
Go out there, empower yourselves and break the intergenerational cycle of poverty in your families. Take upon yourself the regeneration of this country and the world. I wish you well! I wish you Success!
I thank you!
